All Volusia Internet cafes closed, sheriff's officials say

It took just one signature to put about 1,000 Internet Cafes out of business in Florida, but one in Volusia County held out until Thursday afternoon.

KATIE KUSTURASTAFF WRITER

ORMOND BEACH — It took just one signature to put about 1,000 Internet Cafes out of business in Florida, but one in Volusia County held out until Thursday afternoon. The Lucky Jackpot Internet Cafe off South Nova Road in Ormond Beach closed its doors at some time before 3:30 p.m., according to Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Gary Davidson. "We've completed an inventory of Internet cafes and have identified a total of 16 in the portions of Volusia County under the Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction," Davidson said Thursday. Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation Wednesday banning the gaming locales that had operated in a legal gray area. Like several other of the former storefront operations, a sign on The Lucky Jackpot's door read "Closed until further notice." But unlike several other stores, the cafe had another sign, one urging visitors to call Scott and implore him to save jobs. "These cafes have been open for ten years in Florida," the sign states. The sign also states people will not be able to take their kids to Chuck E. Cheese's — a restaurant featuring arcade games — the fair or other places to play games and that people will lose their jobs, homes and cars and won't be able to take care of their kids. Deputies with the Volusia sheriff's office discovered The Lucky Jackpot had been the last gaming parlor to close its doors following a check of the businesses in the county. Some of the locations in Volusia and Flagler counties closed prior to Scott's signing of the ban. Four of the six Internet cafes that had existed in Palm Coast abruptly closed April 3, the day before Florida legislators voted overwhelmingly to ban the businesses. The ban took effect about a month after nearly 60 people were arrested in connection with the racketeering investigation into Allied Veterans of the World. The charity was accused of running a $290 million illegal gambling business that directed most of the proceeds into its owners' pockets. During the raid that led to the arrests, seven locations in Volusia and Flagler counties closed. Ten people were arrested in connection with the local cafes.The arrests also prompted the resignation of former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who did consulting work for the group. Carroll has not been accused of wrongdoing. "If at any time in the future we become aware of a new Internet cafe business opening or an existing business re-opening within our jurisdiction, we will investigate at that time to determine the nature of the business and then take the appropriate enforcement action," Davidson said.